Environment

The storm quickly became the fifth-wettest rainfall event in the continental United States. Gov. Greg Abbott issued an emergency declaration for several counties Thursday.

Full Story 

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and property owners in Guadalupe and Gonzales Counties agreed to not drain four lakes held up by 90-year-old dams, on the condition that recreational use of the lakes is banned.

Full Story 

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority planned to drain the lakes, which it considers a public safety threat, on Monday.

Full Story 

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality denied a permit request by a company seeking to open a hazardous waste processing facility near the Colorado River, citing concerns of contamination to both surface and ground water in the region.

Full Story 

Two floodgate failures on 90-year-old Guadalupe River Valley dams — and the plan to lower the remaining four — are highlighting Texas' underfunded, aging flood infrastructure.

Full Story 

The plan carries a $10 trillion price tag and calls on the country to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.

Full Story 

The law, written by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, requires homeowners to disclose if their properties lie in a flood-prone area or have flooded before. It's an effort to expand notification after many homes unexpectedly flooded during Hurricane Harvey.

Full Story 

A year after the Texas Supreme Court dealt a death blow to municipal bans on plastic bags, legislative efforts to revive them have fallen flat, and ranchers, city leaders and environmental groups say plastic bag litter is as big a problem as ever.

Full Story 

A government plan to guard the Houston-Galveston region from deadly storm surges isn't expected to become reality for at least 15 years. Rice University says it has a plan that could be completed faster for a fraction of the cost.

Full Story 

After centuries of fighting back water in a low-lying nation, the Dutch have become the world leaders in flood control. And their expertise is helping Texas design what would become the nation’s most ambitious — and expensive — coastal barrier.

Full Story 

The judge determined this week that the Taiwanese-owned company has been in "enormous" violation of its state-issued permits and federal clean water laws for discharging plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other waterways from its plant in Point Comfort.

Full Story 

Immigration and border security are at or near the top of voters' concerns about the U.S. and Texas, and political corruption is also near the top of their U.S. list, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

Full Story 

The legislation includes framework that provides more than $1.6 billion for flood control projects and repairs across the state.

Full Story 

The bill would have required domestic violence survivors to be notified when offenders are released on bond. But the Republican governor nixed the legislation over a provision by Democratic state Rep. Poncho Nevárez that would have delayed a West Texas waste facility's increase in state fees.

Full Story 

The bill includes a provision aimed at forcing the federal government to release more than $4 billion to Texas that Congress allocated to the state more than a year ago.

Full Story 

Advocates have pushed for years to put a constitutional amendment before voters to ensure Texas parks and historic sites get the maximum funding authorized from a sales tax on sporting goods. They have finally succeeded.

Full Story 

Lawmakers behind the bills said the legislation will create a more resilient Texas and better prepare the state for storms.

Full Story 

Texas, Puerto Rico and other communities hit by major natural disasters have been waiting for over a year to receive their shares of $16 billion in grant funding approved by Congress.

Full Story 

With the damage from Hurricane Harvey in mind, lawmakers approved two bills aimed at better preparing the state for natural disasters.

Full Story 

House Bill 1325 would legalize hemp and hemp-derived extracts like CBD oil as long as they contain no more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC.

Full Story